When I chose to redirect the scenes from Shaun of the Dead. I had a very clear outlook on how I wanted to do this from the start. I knew I wanted to work off the original script as it was available online and I wanted to put my own spin on it. From the beginning I knew if I was to remake the scenes in my own style I would need to avoid watching the film too much but one technique which I wanted to stay away from was the close up sequence which Edgar Wright is so well known for having. But from this I wanted to find a new way to do it that still showed the comedy of the script. Once I got the script I read through it over and over. What I wanted from it wasn't the sarcastic Shaun that we see in Shaun of the Dead. I read this script and saw straight away a different way I could have done this. My script breakdown helped me to plan out all the sections of the characters dialogue that were the biggest delivery and helped me to decide on what sort of mood I would want in each scene. It specifically helped when planning the scene with Shaun walking to the shop. In the original script the scene is laid out like this:
This allowed me to really get creative and really decide in my own vision how I would go about this scene.
Casting
With no actors applying for my advert I went ahead and found actors myself. Since I knew budget would be an issue as well I looked for professional actors through Casting Call Pro and got the extras through my friends and classmates.
When looking for actors I came across Jamie Terry. Jamie's showreel got my attention with the way he really brings out his characters. His interest in comedy helped me see that he could be good for the role and then it helped that he was recommended by Chris Thomas. A short film Director from London who cast Jamie into one of his short films back when he studied Film Production at UCA a few years back. Once I called Jamie and I actually met him as well he is a very funny person and really loved the idea of giving his own adaptation of the character Shaun. It was from all this that I decided to cast Jamie as I felt he was more than suitable. 
Jacob Sherwood was the next actor that I went on to find on Casting Call Pro. Jacob's CV was amazing. His showreel then back it up, he's a very dedicated actor and good at what he does. He had played a variety of characters through his experience and is also a full-time working actor. What I needed from Ed's character was good delivery of lines as Ed's got the most to say in the first scene. Jacob was perfect for it. Once I spoke to him and explained the project as well he seemed more than happy to come onboard and he did not disappoint. His look was what I was going for as well. I didn't want to go for Shaun being skinny and Ed being fat since that was just a classic Simon Pegg and Nick Frost again. But because Ed is a very lazy and unbothered character, I wanted a very rugged look for him, unshaved, messy hair and Jacob is currently doing that look in preparation for another role in a Feature Film so this was another reason for casting him.
My choice for my zombies came from working with the actors before hand. Jemma Cotterell was one of my main actors in my first University project. She's a good actress, professional and also she was very interested to play a zombie and having been a fan of Shaun of the Dead she was happy to come onboard.
Jack Nix was already on my crew and has played a zombie before. He's easy to work with and got the emotionless stare right which I found hard to get from other people. He was reliable and also professional to work with.
Chelsea Douglas lives with me in accomedations and is a huge fan of The Walking Dead. I had seen her multiple times acting like a zombie in our flat and she always likes to go as one for Halloween. Since she was so good at acting as a zombie and as well could wear the white contact lens (which the other two couldn't) I asked her to come on board.
Locations
With the choice of locations. The easiest to sort out was the house and the shop. Patricia's house was ideal because of location, a house, long street away from the main city and a shop at the end of the street was exactly what I needed. The look wasn't new, it looked like it had been lived in for a while which is what I needed and the street looked like it could be in London as well. The street was nice and big and the shop was only a 10 minute walk away so travel from locations wouldn't be an issue. Obviously, this changed due to the shop dropping out on us but when looking for another shop I did think of Best One in Rochester because of how it looked. It's a small corner shop and looks perfect for what I needed.
With the pub I had a very specific look I wanted. I didn't want a modern, done up pub like you get with Whetherspoons. I wanted a classic, wooden bar stool, dirty bar, sort of pub. Somewhere that you would class as an 'old man's pub'. Like the photo below:
What I also wanted was the right type of lighting. Many pubs these days have converted to white light LED lighting to save energy and have changed from the classic tungsten lighting that you'd usually get in a pub. So when I found the Ship Inn and it has all of this, the wooden seats, worn down bar, it looked like it classic pub and it was exactly what I wanted. As well as having a large backroom which we could use for filming where we could easily fit the kit, crew and cast and the sound from inside was nice and clear. No annoying background sounds and it wasn't too echoy either.
Production/costume design
With Shaun's costume I had a very clear idea and that was simply keeping it the same as the original film. Shaun wears a white shirt, red tie and black trousers and this worked for me because we never see him in work so I didn't see the point in changing the costume for him.
As for Ed. I changed the t-shirt since that 'Got wood' shirt is just known as Ed's now but working with Jacob he had quite a funny t-shirt which was a rip off of toffee crisp which worked for him and for the character.
With the zombies. This was one of my main focuses for production and costume design. After researching into the style of zombies that we've had since 'The Night of the Living Dead' I wanted the look of them to be pale with the blood stained clothes and a bite mark and cuts around to help make it more believable. However, I didn't want them looking like they'd been infected for months or years like we get in the Walking Dead.
Camera approach
With researching into The Walking Dead series and seeing their camera work being very basic for the conversation between Shane and Rick, this was how I decided on my choice of camera for the pub scene. I wanted focus on the dialogue with this scene so I went for a still and locked off shot reverse shot for my scenes with Shaun and Ed and then with the footage outside on the street, I wanted to have focus on all the destruction and horror that has happened but keeping the comedy as well so I chose to do a mixture of hand held footage of Shaun walking to the shop, mixed with shots focusing on the horror such as a dead body. I chose to remove the blood from the window in the shop because I didn't find this very believable and changed it to a still shot from inside a car with the blood on the window.
Original Shaun of the Dead
My version
The shot still got across the comedy which I wanted to get from the scene and for me, worked better and looked better as well. I prefer having the blood here and the shot from inside the car I wanted it to be like the camera was a zombie looking at Shaun as he walks past, not moving just watching... Waiting.
The choice of hand held for the outside part was also due to movement. It was a better choice for us since we would always be on the move to go hand held with a Fig Rig rather than tripod and having to continually set up the kit.
Sound Design
My Sound Design for the opening of the film changed once I got into the post-production stage. At first I was going to recreate the sound of Shaun walking but then I actually liked the idea of having the song 'Zombie Nation' playing over while the footage and titles come over and then once the titles have been change the sound to be coming from inside the pub. I did this mostly for the comical effects but also as a good kick starter to the film.
With the pub being opened. I wanted the sound to fill the room. I wanted the pub to sound busy and I knew this meant adding in crowd sound effects. Then with a song originally composed by my friend Harry Evans but it didn't have the same effect so I used the song 'Soft' by Lemon Jelly which was used in the original film.
My main Sound Design comes in with the last scenes outside of the house with Shaun walking to the shop. I added in a car alarm going off in the background with a fresh wild track of just open air, this to give the impression and atmosphere of no one around, Shaun is alone. Then as well I added the song 'You've got red on you' from Shaun of the Dead which is a surreal and atmospheric soundtrack from the film which adds a creepy and tension building feel to the film as the scene goes on. But always getting with the comedy more with the footage. I also added in the zombie noises here in post to ensure they were all clear and I could do more with them.
My choice of sound design was to follow with the classic style of horror films. Although the film is a comedy zombie film. I felt that the sound should be the element of tension and fear whereas the footage would bring out the comedy of the scene more.
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